1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device that inhibits or prevents vegetation growth around the tree trunks of trees.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several designs for tree skirts and the like have been designed in the past. None of them, however, include elastic exterior and interior edges to snugly fit onto a tree pot and a tree trunk respectively, for the inhibition or prevention of vegetation growth around the tree trunks of trees.
Applicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,001 issued to Crawley on Feb. 4, 1992 for Stabilized mulch skirt. However, it differs from the present invention because Crawley teaches a mulch skirt for inhibiting the growth of vegetation around a tree or post formed from a single sheet having an initial axial opening and a slit extending from the axial opening to a point on the periphery of the skirt. A plurality of adjustment strips are formed around the axial opening by successive concentric rows of serrations. The mulch skirt can be custom-sized on the site to fit around a selected tree or post by removing an inner peripheral portion of the mulch skirt along a selected row of serrations corresponding in diameter to the base diameter of the tree or post with which the mulch skirt is to be used. The mulch skirt may be stabilized by a ring extending around the periphery of the skirt and by anchor pins fastening the ring to the ground.
Applicant believes that another reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,378 issued to Beatrez on Aug. 18, 1998 for Tree edging. However, it differs from the present invention because Beatrez teaches a landscape device positionable at the base of a tree or other vertical object. The device includes a resilient rigid main body with an outer peripheral periphery. The device is constructed of a single, molded sheet of resilient rigid plastic enclosing a central opening and a radial slit extending from the opening to an outer peripheral periphery of the main body. The device further includes two upwardly extending annular walls integral with the main body, a plurality of radial slits extending from the central opening, and an annular flange integral with the main body at one of the annular walls for anchoring the main body into the earth.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.